The online ramblings of Housebuilder's Bible author Mark Brinkley. The paper version is updated every two years and is widely available via UK bookstores and Amazon

7 Jun 2010

Housing for Dummies

Spotted last week at the housing hell that is King's Warren in Red Lodge, Suffolk. It was the dummy window that caught my eye, but on closer inspection it reveals a dummy chimney (the brickwork is a different colour) and fake flintwork. Not to mention dummy sash windows as well. Just about the only authentic things here are the railings.

4 comments:

How can my fellow architects spend 6yrs at univ plus 2yrs practical, and then a career producing quoins and radial heads so grossly unauthentic and structurally absurd? Nothing wrong with fake windows - anything if it works.

I'm wondering about 'fake flintwork' - are these panels that are glued in place? Doesnt look too bad in the photo but I guess close up is different. I wouldnt have noticed the fake chimney either - but for me even the best styled period windows look rubbish when they are installed almost flush with the exterior wall like this.

The flintwork is done in prefab blocks of flint. You can see the banding and the coursing, things you wouldn't get with individual stone. You can see the banding effect clearly at the join between the upper window heads and the bottom of the gable.

It's innovative. It does look rather odd with flint though. What would be more interesting would be if they did more of a random-coursed look, maybe with blocks of different heights. You'd still get the perps though, which would look odd.

But weirdly it creates a sort of ashlar effect. I like it. Odd. Odd odd odd odd odd. But nice.

Shame about the windows and the rest of the masonry. And the roof. And the lame round-topped railings.